Recently I was reading the first part of the book of Ephesians, and I was struck by the use of the word ‘in’ - have you noticed it before? I would encourage you to grab your Bible or a Bible app and take a minute to check it out.

The word 'in' is just a small word but it is amazing how it reminds us and reassures us.

In Ephesians 2, Paul reminds the believers that in their trespasses they were dead. Separated from Christ, without hope and without God. Remember, he says, because you were inside a life of sin you were outside of a relationship with the Heavenly Father.

But Paul also uses the word in to reassure us. Paul says to the Ephesians, “But now in Christ Jesus we who once were far off have been brought near” (Ephesians 2:13). As believers we are in Christ Jesus, and being in Christ is a pretty amazing place to be! Look at what Ephesians 1 says about being in Christ:

In him, we were chosen
​In love, we were predestined for adoption
In him, we have redemption through his blood
In him, we have forgiveness of our sins
In him, we are lavished with grace
In him, we can know the mystery of God’s will
In him, we have an inheritance
In him, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit
In him, the Holy Spirit is our guarantee of inheritance, to the praise of God’s glory

In our sin we were cut off and shut out, lost forever. But now in Christ we can enjoy a loving and right relationship with God the Father.